Package of sash chains



March 25, 1941. T. RUSSELL PACKAGE OF SASH CHAINS Filed Dec. 2l, 1938 lNvENToR are Russell.

. Theod J/fl? ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to sash chains, and more particularly to a method of 4packing a sash chain in a container, and to the package of chains resulting therefrom.

` Various methods have been used in the past for packing relatively long lengths of chain, among which are the follows:

1. The chain was Wound upon a at reel which Was then disposed in a container;

2. The chain was wound into the form of a hank, which was then inserted into the container; and

3. The chain was wrapped into a bunch and then disposed in a container.

Each of the three prior methods were subject to disadvantages. Thus, in No. 1,'it was necessary to rst remove the entire reel from the container to permit the desired length of the chain to be unwound therefroman operation which was time-consuming and inconvenient. In No. 2, the hank of chain had to be not only re moved from the container, but straightened out, hung up, and the free end located, before the desired length of chain could be unwound from the hank-which was inconvenient and timeconsuming, especially as the chain often became tangled. In No. 3, the chain usually became seriously snarled, and the free end was frequently lost in the body of the chain, causing the expenditure of considerable time to unsnarl it and nd said free end.

By means of the present invention, the above and other disadvantages have been overcome and avoided.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of packing a chain which will obviate removing it in its entirety from the container, unwinding it from a reel or hank, and will avoid the inconvenience of hunting for the loose end thereof.

Another object is to provide a package of chain assembled according to the improved method having means to hold the free end of the chain in such a manner that it will always be easy to nd, and wherein the chain may ,he`

(Cl. 20G-47) Fig. 1 illustrates in full lines a container sack l in which the chain is packed, and showing in dotted lines a small interior fixture bag around which the free end of the chain is wrapped to prevent entanglement with the remainder of A said chain.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of the upper part of the container sack shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of an open container.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of an open container and illustrates the' manner of removal of the fixture bag and chain therefrom.

Fig. 5 illustrates a coiled spring fixture adapted to be stored in the small bag and packed in the top of the container.

Fig. 6 illustrates a hook xture also adapted to be received in the small bag.

Fig. '7 shows a modified form of package including a box container.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals denote like parts throughout the several views, the numeral l0 indicates a chain, herein shown in the form of a window sash chain, and which is packed in a fabric sack or container Il in one relatively long piece suilicient for equipping a plurality of windows, together with the necessary quantity of spring and hook fixtures or accessories by means of which the chain may be secured to the window frame and to the usual window weight, not shown.

When in use, thel carpenter will cut up the long Ichain into the desired number of short chains as required, but before doing so, it is obvious that it will be necessary for him each time to locate the free end of the chain from which to measure the desired length to be removed.

In accordance with the present invention, the chain will be fed into the bottom of an empty container Il, the chain automatically piling up in the container Il, as indicated by dot and dash lines in Fig. 2, until all of the chain I0 is packed in the container Il, except for a short length which is left protruding from the top of the container.

In packing the chain lll in the container Il, the looped narrow end I2 of each link is located downwardly, and the double flat wide end I3 is at the top. The fixtures or accessories to be used in installing the chain in the window frame and attaching it to the window weight, preferably comprise a plurality of short coiled springs I4 (see Fig. 5) and a plurality of open wire hooks I5 (see Fig. 6). These xtures are placed in a small fabric bag I6.

The short length of chain which protrudes from the container is then wrapped about the small xture bag I6, and the latter is then placed in the top of the container II adjacent the mouth opening I'I thereof, and on top of the mass of chain piled therein. Preferably, the iixture bag IG is made of suiicient size to substantially cover the top of the chain I0 in the container I I and to loosely fit in the mouth opening I1 of the container (see Fig. 3)

If desired, a tag I8 may be secured by a wire clip I9 to the looped end I2 of the topmost link of the chain to identify it as the free end of the chain, by which the desired length may be readily pulled out from the container II. The tag I8 may be employed either with or Without a fixture bag I5, but if the latter is omitted. the tag I8 should be made suirlciently large to prevent it from sinking into the chain IU in the container and becoming hidden from View therein.

After the cha-in I5 and the fixture bag I6 have been packed into the container Il, as above described, the mouth opening II will be closed and tied by the usual draw strings 20 and 2|. The package will then be ready for shipment, Upon receipt of ythe chain-lled container II, the oarpenter or other workman will iirst untie the strings 20 and 2I in the usual way, remove the fixture bag I6 with the end portion of the chain I wrapped thereabout, and then quickly pull out of the container the desired length oi sash chain, which may then be easily cut off.

When the carpenter has completed his work, the remaining unused portion of -the chain I0 may be repacked in the container II, the free end being again wrapped about the xture bag I6, which is then placed in the container I I on top of the mass of chain I0 piled therein.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 7, a box container 22, such as cardboard or woo-d, is employed in place of the ileXible fabric container I I of the first form. The chain Il] will be packed into the container 22 in the same manner as that described for the first form, and the fixture bag I6 will likewise be placed upon the chain I0 at the top of the box 22.

While the chain I0 has been herein illustrated in Figs. 1-4 as packed in the container I I with the narrow loop ends I2 of the links downwardly, it will be understood that it is within the scope of the invention to dispose the links in the reverse manner, as indicated in Fig. 7-with the at ends I3 of the links extending downwardly and the loop ends I2 uppermost.

By disposing the looped narrow ends of the chain links upward, it has been found that the operation of unpacking the chain from the container will be facilitated, as this arrangement of the links oiers the least resistance to an outward pulling force.

While there have been disclosed in `this specii'lcaltion two forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and thatl the invention is not to be limited to the speeic disclosures, but may be modied and embodied in various other forms and methods without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modications and embodiments coming Within the scope of the following claim.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

A chain and chain fixture package comprising a sack having a length of chain stacked therein with one end of fthe chain at the bottom and the other end of the chain at the top of said sack, a bag containing chain fixtures in said sack, the top end portion of said chain being wrapped about said bag, and said wrapped bag being disposed in said sack on top of the chain stacked therein and being of sufficient size to substan` tially cover the top of the stack of chain in said sack to keep said chain in position therein and to render the upper free end of said chain readily available upon opening said sack.

THEODORE RUSSELL. 

